antmaster5000

Hi! My wife and I are planning a month long tour this September where we will be traveling from the US with our tandem. This will be our first time in Europe but we have done a good amount of traveling and bicycle touring elsewhere. Planning on spending 2-3 days in large cities (Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona) and then ideally camping or staying in less-expensive spots on the way. Planning to average at least 100km/day. We're hoping to ship our bike travel boxes from Amsterdam to Barcelona once we land and I am interested if anyone has advice for this (shipping and then holding them until we arrive at the destination).

I attached a rough outline.

We are planning on following the Eurovelo 3 route through France (would be hopping on after Brussels) so you can ignore the Google maps routing for this section.

Generally speaking I'm looking for any routing advice that maximizes nice camp sites, cyclist friendly routes, and beautiful cities and towns. Thanks! We are so excited

axolotl

Much of the Eurovelo 3 route in France does not maximize scenery, IMO. The portion between Orleans & Tours is nice, however. I don't know the EV3 route between the Belgian border and Paris. I do know that the landscape due north of Paris toward Belgium is just about the only boring section of France, scenery-wise. So hopefully the EV3 route approaching from the northeast is somewhat better.

I woud not continue to follow the EV3 route after Libourne (just northeast of Bordeaux). Bordeaux is not a must-see city, IMO, though it's not at all a bad place. Rather, I would start to head east up the Dordogne river. That has some of the nicest scenery in France. Initially from Libourne you'd be riding through some of the famous Bordeaux vineyards, but as you get further up the river, the scenery gets much more dramatic. You'll be riding through a limestone gorge. There are lots of beautiful villages, castles, caves, & gardens. 100 km/day is a lot, and in this area, there are many places you can visit, so consider slowing down a bit and visiting places. I would advise then heading south passing through Albi, Castres, & Carcassonne. In the event that you were planning on riding the Canal du Midi, my friends & I hated it. The scenery was boring compared to what we had biked through in the Dordogne & Lot valleys, and the surface was mostly very rough pavement.

raybo

I'll second what axototl wrote. I recommend going more southerly from Paris (assuming you don't want to visit D-Day beaches). The Dordogne and, especially, the Lot river gorges are fabulous riding. I'd strongly recommend the Gorges du Tarn, as well. I spent a month riding in France, starting at CDG airport north of Paris, moving east to the D-Day Beaches and then south toward Mont St. Michel, and then southeast toward the gorges. That ride ended in Avignon. I wrote a detailed journal with lots of photos, if you are interested.

Many French towns have municipal campgrounds. You might research which ones along your route have them.

I also agree that 100kms a day can a challenge, especially when weather gets involved. Be sure to add some extra days for delays and rests. 1800kms in a month with 6-9 days in Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona is a brutal schedule.

Check out journals at crazyguyonabike.com, cycleblaze.com and using web searches to get a better idea of a route instead of simply assuming that EV3 is your best choice.